


On the Edges of Winter

by bluetoast



Series: Angels and Ministers of Grace [16]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blackouts, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Drama, Family Issues, Hair Braiding, Hair Brushing, Hurt/Comfort, Kinky, Reading Aloud, Rey Kenobi, Snuggling, Sweet/Hot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 19:17:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8812957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetoast/pseuds/bluetoast
Summary: The second snow day of Rey's life might not be as interesting as the first, but it does add another layer of foundation between her and Ben. There's still plenty they haven't talked about, and things they need to talk about - but each step forward is exactly that, and each one necessary in building whatever it is they are building together. A lack of a heater also gives them a good excuse to spend most of the morning in bed together as well.HC Bingo - Sex Pollen





	

The apartment wasn't as cold as Rey had originally thought. It was just that the space under the covers had been wonderfully warm, so that even after pulling on sweats and one of Ben's flannel shirts it seemed chilly. The thick socks helped as she shuffled out of the bedroom and into the doorway of the kitchen, where Ben was, standing in front of the pantry and frowning. “I'm fine with just a peanut butter sandwich, or cereal.” She leaned against the threshold, smiling tiredly. “Really.” 

He gave her a half smile. “We also have fruit, there was a sale on clementines at Jewel this week.” He looked down at Arya, who was munching away on kibble. “Miss Fur Coat doesn't seem bothered either way.” 

She nodded and went over to the china cabinet, pulling out a glass. “You want some juice? I know, it's not coffee, but it's not plain water either.” She paused, a wretched thought occurring to her; they were seventeen stories up. “We do have water, don't we?”

“We sort of have water.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes. “We don't have hot water, and while we can wash our hands with it, we need to use bottled to brush our teeth. It's a safety precaution.” 

“Eek.” She took the bottle of juice out of the fridge, shutting the door tightly behind her. “What's the average on power outages in this part of the city?”

“I'd give it just a few more hours, at most. Odds are, there have been people screaming at the power company on behalf of all those currently affected since two seconds after the lights went out.” He chuckled as she poured each of them some juice and pulled a box of Pop Tarts out of the pantry. “I'm for keeping as many dishes as we can clean.” He smiled. “Or do you want a sandwich?”

“I'm fine with Pop Tarts.” Rey carried the glasses into the other room and set them on the table and he followed. “Last blackout I was in was back in April, cowering in the basement of my high school, hoping that there had just been a funnel sighted, not an actual tornado.” 

Ben blanched. “I've only been in one tornado warning in my life, and that was at Uncle Luke's when I was ten.” He sat down at the table, opening the box of chocolate chip Pop Tarts. “I think I'll take a nor'easter any day of the week.” 

She frowned at the term. “Aren't those sort of like small hurricanes?” 

He nodded. “Some of them packed a double whammy of starting off with driving, pounding rain and ending with blinding snow, with ice in the middle.” 

She cringed as he handed her a foil-wrapped package. “No thank you. This lake effect snow is bad enough. You had that in Buffalo too, right?”

He took a sip of juice. “We did. Just happened to be Lake Erie instead of Michigan. It's the wind that makes all of this weather seem twice as bad as it really is. It's sort of like comparing what a hundred and ten would be in Phoenix and what it'd be in Houston.” 

Rey grinned. “I don't miss the humidity, I know that.” She took a sip of her juice. “Although I have a feeling that when I go back there and someone says that sixty degrees is cold, I can tell them they don't know the meaning of the word.” 

“You will at that.” He broke his pastry in half, taking a bite out of one of them. “I haven't ventured over to the window see what it looks like out there, I don't want to know just how much snow this storm has dropped, the estimate was two feet.”

She nodded, eating a little of her own pastry. “Where did your friend Nate go to college? I'm guessing he didn't come here to De Paul with you.” 

“He went to Virginia. Jen's convent is up in Wisconsin. He works in the administration department for Continental Airlines, and he says he's relieved that he is not in the department that has to talk to disgruntled customers, just disgruntled employees.” 

Rey tucked her feet under her legs in her chair, even with the socks, her feet still felt slightly chilled. “I think I'd take employees over customers.” She shook her head. “I had someone ask me last week when the bananas had been picked. The woman wanted to know how long they'd been off the tree. I don't even know what country they came from, let alone when they were picked.”

He smirked. “What, haven't you seen the banana trees growing along Michigan Avenue?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “At least they didn't ask you when the cow that made up the hamburger was slaughtered.” He took another bite of pastry.

She snorted. “Yeah, we have a packaged date on them and a sell by date, but not a date of death for the meat provider.” She shook her head. “I think if you're looking for fresh meat, Aldi is not really the place to look for it.” She set the foil package down, shifting in her chair.

“Aldi in Germany, yes. Aldi in America, not so much.” He finished the pasty half he was holding. “You okay?” He indicated the package in front of her.

She nodded, pulling the second pastry out. “I'm still waking up. It strange how you don't notice a habit you've fallen into until you can't do it.” She sighed and took a sip of juice. “In my case, it's morning coffee.” She wasn't certain what time she and Ben fell asleep last night, but if she had to guess, it was close to ten, and it hadn't been peaceful for either of them; they had both had several nightmares, and had woken each other up after each one. Wonderful and comforting yes, good for sleep? Not so much. 

Ben gave her a worn smile; he looked about as tired as she felt. “I can understand that. I actually walked over to the coffee pot and was about to pour water into it when I realized that it wouldn't work.” He chuckled, then looked at her empty glass. “You want to split a Monster? I know it's not coffee, but it's the only other available source of caffeine in the apartment.” He paused. “Or at least, just have a glass each? Before the headaches kick in?”

“Sure.” She frowned at her empty glass. “The taste isn't going to be weird, is it?” she wasn't even sure what flavors that energy drink came in, or which ones Ben had.

“Shouldn't.” He set down his half-eaten second pastry and went into the kitchen, and a moment later, returned with a tall white can. “Given that I've not figured out exactly what flavor this is supposed to be. It tastes like Sprite mixed with Seven-Up and Sierra Mist.” 

“Weird.” Rey watched as he cracked open the can and poured some of the drink into her glass. After he'd filled his own glass and set the can down, she picked her glass up and took a tentative sip. There was a slight tinge to the taste; there was the lemon-lime flavor, but there was an undercurrent to the flavor. “Maybe it's the actual flavor of caffeine that we taste. Our brains know that this sort of drink should be caffeine free, but now, confronted with one that isn't – our brain can't process what the flavor exactly is.”

Ben chuckled over the rim of his glass. “That's entirely possible.” He took a sip and then sat back, and she could see his face ease slightly; and he took another, before setting the glass down and picking his toaster pastry up. “I haven't looked outside to see if the snow had let up or not. I know it's supposed to until the evening, but that could have changed if the storm turned at all.” 

She took a long drink and then ate a little more of her breakfast. “When's your next shift at work?” 

“Sunday night.” He grimaced. “Going straight from work to class, so when you get home on Monday, you will most likely have to wake me up for dinner.” 

“I can do that.” She finished her pastry, smiling.“Sleeping Beauty.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his cheeks turn pink. “What?”

“I've not been called that before.” He coughed, downing the rest of his Monster. “Beautiful.” 

She frowned at that, and set her glass down. “Well, you are.” She stood and came over to him, letting her fingers trail down his marred cheek, watching as his eyes closed and he leaned into her touch. Her other hand came up and stroked his hair, gently pressing her lips against his. Ben's mouth parted slightly and Rey deepened the kiss, taking his bottom lip in both of hers. As she ran her tongue along it, Ben's eyes opened to meet hers, and she slowly pulled away, giving his upper lip a swift lick with her tongue as she let her arms settle on his shoulders. “Handsome isn't the right word for someone as beautiful as you.” She brushed another soft kiss against his lips before he could interject. “Handsome might as well be a synonym for ordinary in regards to you.”

Ben let out a soft chuckle. “I believe I'm the linguist professional, little scholar.” In a swift movement, he picked her up, spun slightly in his chair, and set her down on the table in front of him. “However, you are a swift learner.” He kissed her again and slid his hands up her arms, bringing them to rest on the collar of her shirt. “Couldn't you find yours?” He undid the top button.

“I was cold.” she wrinkled her nose as he undid a second button, his fingers slipping under the fabric for a moment before returning to work opening the shirt. “It was the first one with long sleeves I saw.” She let out a hiss as his fingers brushed against her nipple, “I was thinking more of staying warm, rather than who the shirt belonged to.” 

“Hm.” He reached the end of the row of buttons, and kissed the corner of her mouth, then slowly trailed his lips down her jawline and onto her neck. “Are you cold now?” 

“A little.” she slid her fingers into his hair as he moved his mouth lower, sucking at her skin for a moment at the hollow of her throat, before pulling back just enough to run his nose along her sternum. She looked down at him, his eyes meeting her gaze, and she reached up to brush that errant lock of hair off his forehead. “Aren't you?”

“Not really.” While one of his hands remained on her thigh, the other reached up and pulled that side of the shirt open, exposing her breast, and she shivered. “Although if you're cold, perhaps you should get back in bed.” He leaned forward, tracing her nipple slowly with his tongue, his eyes staying fixed on hers. “Don't you think so?”

Rey let out a breathy gasp as his mouth closed over the stiff peak, sucking it languidly, rolling the tip with his tongue, his other hand sliding up to cup her other breast. “Will you be joining me?” She hissed as she felt his teeth scrape her skin lightly.

“I'm not so cold, Darling.” He blew against her skin, and she squirmed as he ran his tongue down her breast and then up the other. “Or would you rather do something in bed other than sleep?” He closed his lips around her nipple, giving it the same treatment as the first.

“Ah.” She swallowed, torn between pushing him away they could talk, or hold on to his shoulders so he couldn't stop. “Who said I wanted to sleep?” She slid her hand into his hair and he released her nipple with a wet pop. “Or are you the one who wants to rest?”

Ben chuckled and stood, lifting her chin slightly to press a kiss against her lips. “Hardly.” Rey couldn't mistake the look in his eyes for anything other than lust. “Although we may sleep when we're exhausted each other.” 

“You planning on making me fall apart?” She rested her hands on his hips, slowly folding the waistband down, keeping her eyes on his. “Rendering me speechless?” She wrapped her hand around his cock, looking down long enough to see the tip was already leaking.

Instead of speaking, he stepped forward and picked her up, causing her to shriek slightly in surprise and wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he carried her into their room, and let go long enough with one arm to throw the covers back before laying her down. “Tell me what you want, Rey.” He tugged on the cuffs of her sweats, and she pushed the waist off of her hips so he could remove them. “How do you want this?” He dropped her sweats on the floor, then shoved his own down to join them, kicking his aside as he pulled his shirt over his head. “Tell me.” He leaned over her on his arms, watching her eyes with his.

Rey swallowed, licking her lips and glancing down for a moment before scooting back on the bed some and spreading her thighs, her voice cracking as his finger slid along her slit. “Ben...” 

“So wet, so eager.” He leaned down, kissing her neck, near her ear. “Tell me what you want, Rey.”

She wrapped her arm around his, pulling her knees up, and he climbed between her legs, the head of his cock teasing her entrance, and her other hand settled onto his scarred cheek. “Slow and deep.” She let out a hiss as she felt his cock slip inside of her waiting quim. “Please...”

“So polite.” He withdrew and then drove himself back into her, his hips moving almost languidly against her. “Is this what you want?” He set his hands on the mattress, thrusting in and out of her so she could feel every inch of him moving along her channel. 

Rey let out a whimper as he filled her again, almost completely buried inside of her. Maybe she was a little too sensitive for tender love making; maybe it was lust overriding her mind. She slid her arms under his, holding onto Ben's shoulders as he kissed her neck, sucking gently on her earlobe. “Kylo...” The name fell from her lips before she had even really registered she'd spoken, and she opened her eyes to find Ben staring at her, his expression stunned. “I...”

To her surprise, his face slowly shifted from stunned to wicked. “You don't want tenderness right now, do you?” He gave her a swift, hard thrust and she gasped. “Do you?”

She shook her head, grasping him tighter, her mind starting to catch up with the rest of her body and she spread her legs wider as he thrust against her again. “Love me Ben.” She rasped against his ear. “Love me the way Kylo dreams of loving Kira.” 

“Rey.” He whispered against her ear as he began to thrust against her, each one stronger than the one that preceded it. His maneuvered them so her legs were around his waist was he kept filling her, and she tugged on his hair so she could take a hold of his earlobe with her lips, tugging on it as her hips started to move in time with his. “Kira.” He groaned.

Rey clung to Ben, recalling the first time she'd come across that character in his novel. An unattainable woman, not for her being married to someone else, or even in that regard; she was a prisoner of the darkness that Kylo Ren fought – and he was desperately trying to defeat the evil that held his heart captive. “Kylo.” she whispered against his ear, then surrendered herself to the emotions and feelings sweeping through her body as he began to thrust deeper and harder into her quim. “I'm here, Kylo, I'm here.” 

“Kira.” Ben's voice was ragged against her skin and his mouth covered her lips, his tongue moving in time to his cock. 

*

Ben came back into the bedroom just as Rey stirred, pushing herself up to rest on her arms, blinking at him, a sated, sleepy smile gracing her kiss-swollen lips. He had merely dozed for an hour before he slipped from the bed, leaving her to rest. He put the large mug of hot chocolate he was carrying for her down on the bedside table before he sat down on the bed, and kissed her gently. “Good afternoon, sleepy head.” 

She returned the kiss, and rose to a sit, the bed clothes falling around her. She rubbed her eyes, covering a yawn. “What time is it?”

“Two twenty-five.” He smiled. “Power's back on, dinner's in the crock-pot and should be ready around six.” He slid his hand down her arm. “You want to get up or you want to stay in bed?”

She gave him a sheepish smile. “Few more minutes.” She stretched and he leaned down, picking up a shirt from the floor and handing it to her. “Thank you.” She pulled it on, chuckling. “I was wondering where my shirt from last night went.” She moved so she could lean back against the headboard. “When did we get power back?”

“Around eleven.” He shrugged, “I didn't think you needed to be woken up for that. You were sleeping quite peacefully and I didn't want to disturb you.” He indicated the mug. “I brought you some hot chocolate.” 

“Thanks.” She scooted over so she could take up the mug and took a sip, smiling at him over the rim, then, abruptly, her cheeks went pink and she looked down. 

“What?” Ben frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Rey put the mug down, her cheeks still flaming. “If I said the two of us calling each other characters from your novel was really, really, _really,_ kinky, would you be offended?”

“Yes.” He smirked at her expression, his smile letting her know he was teasing. “Because the word you're looking for is extremely, not really.” 

She wrinkled her nose in that pout that always made he grin. “You know what I mean, Mr. Wordsmith!”

“And you wouldn't be the same in talking about colors?” He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I'm not offended, either.” He placed a kiss against her cheek. “Granted, I was not expecting to hear it, but then, who would?”

Rey took a long sip of her hot chocolate, “We're not telling people we did that.” 

Ben gave her a look. “I should hope not. As far as everyone who finds out we're having sex, everything physical between us is strictly vanilla. I, for one, don't think it's anyone else's business, do you?”

She shook her head, letting out a groan as she stretched her legs. “Agreed.” She wrapped her hands around the mug, looking at the contents within, not him. “I think we're going to have to change the sheets again.” 

“That's fine.” He let his shoulders slump, covering a yawn and he rubbed his eyes. “I've been meaning to get my quilt out and throw it over the comforter for a while now.” He saw her eyebrow lift in surprise. “Yes, I have a quilt.” He smiled. “Aunt Mara made it for me when I graduated high school. I only use it in the winter, because the thing is so heavy and also, I don't want anything to happen to it. Not to mention it has to be dry cleaned.” 

“I can understand that.” She set her mug down, stretching her arms out in front of her, “what are we having for dinner?”

“Pulled pork. Among the last of the generous donations made by our fine neighbors in the building from this past summer when I was still recovering from my accident.” He ran a hand through his hair. “It was in the freezer and I figured we might be able to forget the wintery weather with a food associated with summer.” He set a hand on her knee over the covers. “You okay?”

Rey nodded, “I think I just need a shower, and then I'll be great.” She rubbed her face, yawning again. “I think I'll do that, then I might be up to more conversation.” 

“Sure.” He leaned over and kissed her gently. “Just to warn you, the warm water won't last as long as usual. That won't be back to normal for a few days.” He got up, smiling. 

“Guess that puts laundry off.” She swung her legs over and sat on the edge of the bed, taking another drink of hot chocolate.

“What have you been washing in hot water?” He frowned, “I don't even wash anything in hot, and that includes my socks.”

“These sheets probably should, considering what we've been doing on them.” She smirked and he laughed.

“Point. But hot water is never good for dark colored sheets.” He plucked the burgundy pillowcase next to her. “Don't worry, I can get the sheets changed while you're getting cleaned up.” He kissed her again and walked out of the bedroom, going into the short hallway to open the door of the storage closet. Ben saw Rey come out of his room and shuffle down to hers. While they had never broached the subject, in his mind, Rey's room was strictly that – _her_ room. He didn't know how she viewed his room, but if asked, her room was just for her, and wasn't to be shared, not the way his was.

Maybe it was a hold back to when Rey's room was Aunt Sabe's and he respected the elderly woman's privacy, and now he respected the current occupant's. 

He took out a clean set of sheets, the ones with the green paisley pattern and, after setting them on his dresser, went back to the closet and pulled down the long plastic container that held his quilt. He folded it over his arms as Rey came out of her room, carrying a change of clothes. He nodded to her as she went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her, and a moment later, he heard the lock click into place. 

Shrugging, he went into his room and made short work of stripping the bed and tossing the dirty sheets into the laundry. He was in the middle of putting the fitted sheet on when his cell-phone went off. He stopped, turning towards the sound of the ring tone that let hm know it was his mother on the other end. He frowned and glanced at his alarm clock. Two-forty – three forty where she was. He shook his head and got back to work.

Ben was going to be serious about Doctor Andres's advice and not talk to his mother. 

 

*

Rey was right about the shower helping. She stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing her hair dry and went over to the door of Ben's room, watching as he finished straightening a bright quilt over the bed; she recognized the pattern as Texas Star, all the fabrics were in bold shades of blue, purple, red, and green, set against a butter yellow background. She hadn't even met Mara Skywalker yet, and she already liked her. “I can see why you keep that put away. That's gorgeous.” She stepped into the room and ran her hand along the pattern. 

Ben ducked his head. “I'm a little more sentimental than most guys.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” She held the towel in both of her hands, smiling. “Did you pick the pattern out?” 

“Yeah.” He smoothed out a wrinkle, looking down at the bed, and Rey wondered if he was thinking of the quilt, or o something else. “Some of the fabric came from a quilt my great-grandmother made my grandfather when he went to college.” He straightened and went out into the living room. 

Shrugging, Rey went and hung up her towel, then joined him, sitting down on the couch to comb out her hair. “How exactly did your uncle end up on the farm in South Dakota, if he didn't grow up there?”

Ben sat down next to her and took the comb from her hand, and before she could protest, started to comb her hair for her. It was rather strange; but at the same time, rather sweet. She let her arms relax as he worked the comb through her hair, following it with his fingers. “He spent his summers there since he was nine. Great Uncle Owen was the one who farmed, but he and Great Aunt Beru couldn't have kids of their own.” 

“They couldn't adopt?” She frowned, wondering if it was as hard to adopt in the sixties and seventies as it was these days.

“They tried, but kept getting rejected, citing my great uncle's health as a reason. When he was about six and my granddad was eight, he managed to contract both polio _and_ the measles in the same summer.” He sighed. “He could run the farm just fine, but it ate at what health he had, so by the time my uncle was visiting for the summer, it was clear to see that if he was lucky, he'd live to see him grow up. Great Grandma died in eighty-two, Uncle Owen died in ninety-one, and Aunt Beru passed away in ninety-three.” 

Rey let out a sigh as Ben gently worked through a tangle in her hair. “So your grandfather was no farmer?”

“Hardly. He didn't have the right temperament for it, according to grandma.” His fingers stilled for a moment. “But he did like to build things. There's a couple of pieces of furniture in Uncle Luke's house that he built.”

She closed her eyes as he got back to work, biting at her lip as he pried the tangle apart, sighing. “I take it your mom never liked to go there, or you going there.” 

“And how.” He laughed. “I was turned over to Uncle Luke the summer I turned ten, and I returned home deeply tanned, a few scars on my arms and legs and mom went basaltic, all freaked out about skin cancer or something.” Ben let out a breath. “I think she was more afraid I'd turn into something terrible, like a _farmer,_ and she'd have nothing to be smug about.” 

“Sheesh.” Rey didn't bother to hide her disgust. “Most parents would be overjoyed with a kid that showed work ethic, not ashamed.”

“Work ethic when it's a certain type in encouraged. But I'd also learned to cook a little, and she wasn't upset about that.” He laughed and ran his hand down her head. “Almost done here. You want a braid, or just going to let it dry this way?”

She chuckled. “You can braid hair?”

“Sure.” He laughed, “I haven't done it lately, but I'm pretty sure I can still do a mean reverse French braid. I'd offer you a Dutch one, but that requires far too many pins and you'd just have to take it out when you went to bed.” 

She turned and gave him a look. “Whose hair have you been braiding, Ben Solo?”

“Leslie's, I was teaching Gwen how to do it. Also used to braid Jen's hair.” His cheeks went slightly pink. “It was about the closest we came to public displays of affection.” He slipped his fingers into her hair, parting it. “do you want to brush and braid my hair after I'm finished?”

“Well, maybe not braid.” She leaned into his touch as his fingers slid down her scalp, and looked down to see Arya watching the pair of them from the rug, her tail swishing back and forth. “I think someone's jealous.” 

“She's already had her hair brushed this afternoon, she can't complain.” Ben replied, chuckling as the cat jumped onto the couch and settled into Rey's lap. 

“Little diva just wanted some attention too.” She replied, rubbing the cat behind her ears. “Is that it?”

In reply, Arya chirped. 

**

Despite the lack of school and work the next day, the pair of them settled into bed shortly after nine. Lying cuddled up together and reading sounded infinitely better than trying to find something to watch on television, and they had managed to assemble the puzzle over the course of the afternoon. Ben wasn't certain if he should bring home another one yet or not. He leaned back against the headboard, flipping through his book of choice while Rey brushed her teeth. He had already checked the locks and turned everything off. 

“I don't think I've had anyone read to me since fourth grade.” Rey came into the room, slipping under the covers on her side of the bed, covering a yawn. “Do I get to pick the next book?”

“Of course.” He smiled, letting out a breath. “I also can't believe you've never read this.” He indicated the book he was holding. “Or were you the 'assigned reading only' type of student?” He said it teasingly, knowing that for a guy, he'd read an alarming number of books that would be deemed 'chick lit' – and he wasn't ashamed. Womens' literature was vastly more interesting than some of the books he'd read that were deemed for 'guys.' He'd written a paper lauding _Little Women and Werewolves_ as being a vast improvement over the source material. 

“Please.” She tucked herself against his side, chuckling. “My American Lit teacher was great, but my British Lit teacher spent countless weeks tearing apart Shakespeare's formula writing and why it was awful, rather than let us read something decent.” She smiled. “Is this on your list for me?”

“It is.” He kissed her forehead. “Although I am still working on said list.” He wrapped his arm around her. “Comfortable?”

“Uh huh.” She moved closer to him, so that her head rested against his chin. “You?”

“Very.” He flipped back to the beginning of the book and cleared this throat. “ _Wide Sargasso Sea_ , by Jean Rhys. Part One, chapter one. They say when trouble comes close ranks, and so the white people did. But we were not in their ranks.”

As he continued to read, he heard the faint sounds of 'Moving Out' coming from his dresser drawer, his mother calling again, and once more, he ignored it.

**Author's Note:**

> Excerpt from 'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys, copyright 1966


End file.
